Reviews with content warning for Blood - The Hobbit

I really loved this book, I loved the adventure and I loved all 13 of the dwarves. Although the characters weren't very built and all kind of blended together, I did enjoy them all the same and I found myself relating to Bilbo in multiple instances. I think the story and the world-building was very well-done and the only thing i found myself wishing for was more character development and

more greif over the death at the end. although Thorin's death did make me sad, it didn't impact me as much as I wished it would. I saw these movies in theatres when they first came out and the death of Thorin, Fili, and Kili still makes me cry because they were a lot more dramatic in the film than it was in the book and i just found myself wishing i felt closer to the characters

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theespressoedition's review against another edition

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adventurous slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Hobbit is such an interesting book. I read it for the first time when I was in high school, which was over ten years ago. I remember thinking it was incredibly slow and a little bit monotonous. As an adult, I think I still agree with that assessment. However, I also appreciate the different elements of Bilbo's adventures. I make that plural because while he technically went on one long adventure, he had so many "smaller" ones along the way. Some of them were fascinating and action-packed. Others were less interesting and I found my mind wandering. One thing I will say is that I believe I would've given this only three stars had I not listened to the audiobook narrated by Andy Serkis. There's nothing quite like listening to the book read by Gollum/Smeagol himself. That was a lot of fun!

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kuroishi_x's review against another edition

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adventurous funny inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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asipofcozy's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I finally did it. After years of saying "I will pick up the Hobbit" or "I will pick up Lord of the Rings, I have finally read both, and dare I say, shame on me for taking so long to pick either of them up. One thing I am glad that I did was read LOTR first before reading The Hobbit. It was beautiful catching moments, quotes, actions, and situations that would transpire in LOTR. It made the world so much grander.

I am looking for someone to share in adventure that I am arranging.

Tolkien knows how to write a grandeur adventure that is both whimsical and epic. I fell in love with his writing in Lord of the Rings, and reading the Hobbit is no different. I felt transported to a world of adventure, quests, meandering hobbits, and a looming war. This isn't a read you can sit down in one day and devour (though try I did). This is a book you savor over tea with the fireplace going and the Fall rain hitting the window (which may have been how I read this).

I could see myself rereading this many times in the future, just as I have Lord of the Rings. There is just something about the aesthetic of the book, the poetic writing, and the adventure that draws me in.

(p.s. - if you are picking this book up AFTER the movie, please be aware that you will see many differences and things that did not occur in the book.)

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em_davies7019's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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claudiamacpherson's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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rensreading's review against another edition

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challenging sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

i finally understand why it took me 2 years to finish this book: i liked the movies better.

now, before you all pull out your knives on me, let me explain. the way tolkien wrote the characters in this story was boring and not thought out. bilbo is a blustering homebody who decides to go on this quest with the dwarves without giving a reason why. tolkien both wrote disparaging things about the dwarves which truly showed his racism. the dwarves, in my mind, felt like poc that bilbo was helping because he was bored. all of it was very white savior and it was a pain to push myself through to the end. also, for a story about bilbo helping the dwarves, there is very little depth to the company. you would think as bilbo supposedly gets closer with the company as the journey progresses that he would have more insightful things to say about them, but that isn’t the case at all. the plot is promising but the characters? bland.

and so i must give this 3 stars, though i might come back and rate it like 2.5 stars instead, maybe. we’ll see.

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dlrosebyh's review against another edition

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adventurous slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

i think this is the type of book i would’ve enjoyed when i was younger. i tried to love this book, and eventually failed. i neither loved it or hated it; it was just ok.

i have wanted to read this series since i was 8, and just picked it up now. the plot was amazing. there were few plot holes, but plot holes are pretty visible in any book. the characters, on the other hand, weren’t as lovable. if it wasn’t for bilbo, i would’ve rated this book a star. he carried the book. the slow pace was also unnecessary. i found the overly descriptive sentences unnecessary. taking almost the whole page describing an apple was not it for me.

i don’t know why there are several dwarfs— i don’t think eleven dwarves were necessary. up until now, i still don’t know their names one by one without checking them again. in addition, there were zero females in this book. i was expecting at least one, and i didn’t get any. that part really bugged me.

however, i’ll still read the next book because i’ve heard better things about it.

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